Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Train in the heat

It reached the low 40s late last week. Our rail system doesn't cope too well at those temperatures and trains are required to run at a reduced speed due. I was catching a train back into the city in the afternoon and it was moving at a glacial pace. And then it suddenly stopped. There was a signalling fault and the driver announced that he had no idea how long we'd have to wait.

Hmmm...should I stay in the air conditioned carriage or try to figure out another way to get home. I opted for the latter. The crowd waiting at the nearby tram stop ruled out the tram option. I decided to walk to the next station, which is a major stop for several train lines.

It was a hot walk in the searing heat. I was thinking about that poor gay American tourist who passed away on the Larapinta Trail earlier this month. People actually die at these temperatures. I decided to walk in the shade. Of course, several hundred meters from the next train stop, I see the signalling fault must have been fixed as my train slowly passed.  Dammit.

I eventually reached the next station. Getting back inside another air conditioned carriage was the best feeling in the world!

2 comments:

Victor said...

I travelled on a Sydney bus yesterday that had faulty air-conditioning. It was blowing hot air and the bus windows were sealed. It was a horrific journey.

Adaptive Radiation said...

Oh no. Transport services and infrastructure really doesn't cope well in the heat! Apparently the same issues with the cold in parts of the UK and Europe recently.